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I'm John Prado and this is checks and balance from the economist.

Normally, each week we take one big theme, shaping American politics and explore it in depth.

But today, instead of doing that, we're going to answer your questions.

We've been asking listeners to send in questions about American politics

or anything else they want us to answer.

And with me to try and answer a selection of those questions,

are Idris Calune, who this week is coming to us from Chicago, Charlotte Howard,

in her usual perch in New York and John Fasman,

somewhere upstate in New York, but with his camera off,

so we can't quite verify that.

Idris, how are you doing and what's going on in Chicago?

I was passing through, I was in Wisconsin for a few days doing some reporting

and I'm on my way to San Francisco.

So Chicago is the right terminus to get from one place to the other.

And Charlotte, what about you? What's up in New York?

I'm looking forward to having John Fasman back on.

...